Mahatma Letter of Sinnett to/from M - 1881-11-??

Quick Facts
People involved
Written by:	Morya, A. P. Sinnett
Received by:	A. P. Sinnett, Morya
Sent via:	unknown
Dates
Written on:	Early November 1881
Received on:	unknown
Other dates:	unknown
Places
Sent from:	Simla or Allahabad
Received at:	unknown
Via:	unknown

This letter has not been published previously. A. P. Sinnett wrote to Mahatma Morya, who added a note and gave the original to H. P. Blavatsky to preserve. In the sequence of the Mahatma Letters, it fits into the range from letter no. 27 to letter no. 33, but probably preceeding the Cosmological Notes and Mahatma Letter No. 29.

Note to H. P. Blavatsky from Morya

Note written in blue-green ink on back page:

Read and destroy. Fear not[,] everything lovely. Mr H[ume] nicely cowed down in his pride by your dad. Yes – your dad is not the mirific K.H. – Poor Kashmir[,] he is now stiff for a month, passing his Samadhi of three months before his final initiation and - it is a terrible trial[,] Olcot[t]. Not one out of three pass it happily. I send you Hume’s answer to Saturday Review. Ratigan (Pioneer’s proprietor) forced the bottle nosed Editor of C & M [Gazette] to publish it. I will send you the Tribune full of in & our defense[,] Mr Hume sent editor[ial] to the best papers[:] to Hindu Patriot, A B Patrika Englishman etc. if they all printed them

NOTES:

• Ratigan refers to William Henry Rattigan, who purchased The Pioneer from George William Allen in 1882.
• C & M refers to the Civil and Military Gazette published in Lahore.
• Saturday Review refers to the The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science, and Art, weekly London newspaper.
• Tribune refers to a newspaper in Lahore.
• Hindu [Hindoo] Patriot was an English weekly newspaper published in Calcutta.
• A B Patrika refers to a Bengali-language newspaper, Ananda Bazar Patrika.
• Englishman refers to The Englishman, a daily newspaper published in Calcutta.

Page 1 of Sinnett letter transcription, image, and notes

[Letterhead: The Pioneer, Allahabad.]

To
M

I am more than pleased to find you are getting to tolerate me to some extent. In that case it will not annoy you to receive letters from me and you can answer them [or] not.

I should like you to read a letter I wrote to my boss and friend, your Brother (from a very full heart) on my way up here, at Solun. It would probably show you, even more than by its mere words for you can, as we say, read between the lines –

NOTES:

• Boss and friend, your brother refers to Mahatma Koot Hoomi.
• Solun (Solan) is a small city at the road down from Simla to Ambala.

Page 2

what I feel about him. But for me, a better assurance that there may be some good stuff in me, than is afforded by the fact that I appreciate him, is conveyed in the blessed certainty I have that he entertains a real regard for me, in spite of all my earthiness. As for that I have never resolved not to try and shake it off, but that would be a large undertaking; I have never yet felt sure that I could carry it through, nor has my revered friend ever explicitly

NOTES:

Page 3

enjoined me to do so, so I fear he does not think I could carry it through. My ambition has hitherto been to be useful to him, and you all in my own small way, in the world where my daily work, and to some extent my tastes and habits chain me. I am not too proud to look for my reward in your protection and help upwards somehow, in the end, and in some closer acquaintance with him ultimately, for which as I have sat reading his letters my heart has often ached with desire. Pardon for once the egotism of this letter. I am

NOTES:

Page 4

trying to introduce myself to you.

You speak of my thirst for phenomena. I do not thirst for any thing that can be called tamasha. What I do long for is the privilege of direct communion with the Occult World and him especially. That may involve the exercise of phenomenal powers on your side, but the thing I aspire to is the personal communion not the display of magic. I do not say I am worthy of this, but the aspiration at all events

NOTES:

• Occult World in this case refers not to Sinnett's first book, The Occult World, but to the realm of the unknown.

Page 5

is not an unworthy one. I could write reams on this subject. Don’t think I am worrying you with importunate requests. I am not asking for anything, I wish and hope. But I have too many faults to want others imputed to me which I do not possess. I am not craving for the mere sensation of gaping at wonders but I know what a powerful engine these may be in shaking the foundations of erroneous beliefs in the Western mind

NOTES:

Page 6

so I do not undervalue even the mere unexplained wonders produceable by your power.

My notion of how best to profit by your kind inclination to help us would be to take that long passage from K.H.’s long letter to me rec’d at Bombay which I have extracted and which is now in our Societys minute book, and amplify it at all points, into a complete exposition (as far as that might

NOTES:

• Societys could refer to the Theosophical Society or the Simla Eclectic Theosophical Society.

Page 7

be possible compatibly with the rules which restrict you) of the Adepts’ knowledge about the origin[,] progress and destinies of human creatures before and after this life. This process of amplification would bring us back to the metaphysical first principles about which Hume has been writing lately ; but though an unscientific, I think it would practically be the best way of working. But if I do it the work can but be done slowly for I have my daily

NOTES:

Page 8

Pioneer work to do and the bare fulfillment of duty to the paper takes up the greater part of my working energy every day. I could not have written even my “Occult World” slight a thing as it, in the midst of my Pioneer work. It was my holiday house that enabled me to do it. So if I can keep Hume up to the mark the work may be got through quicker that way, and we may the sooner have some substantial teaching to offer to the world. However

NOTES:

• Occult World refers to Sinnett's first book, The Occult World, published in 1881.

Page 9

I shall set to work in my own way too (my own slow way, alas!) and I shall try and work so as to render the task of helping me[,] if you are kindly willing, as little troublesome as possible.

But meanwhile it is most aggravating that we do not get more members. We hoped that the dignified course of not openly seeking to enlist them would be best but

NOTES:

Page 10

dignified passivity on our part does not seem to answer. I should greatly like to get together a respectable group of new members to exhibit to our dear patron when he comes to this life again – But it seems to me a little too soon as yet to run the risk of finally alienating Hume’s sympathies by taking the direction of things out of his hands.

It is a tangled situation altogether but I do not by any means despair

NOTES:

• our dear patron indicates Koot Hoomi.

Page 11

of its smoothing out by degrees.

I shall reply fully to Damodars letter, and submit my answer to your perusal before sending it, in case you think it worthwhile to read it.

Really grateful for your recent inclination towards me.

Yours very respectfully, AP Sinnett

NOTES:

Page 12

Note written in blue-green ink on back page:

Read and destroy. Fear not everything lovely [illegible] I am in his [illegible] by your deed Yes – your deed is not the [illegible, possibly "merciful"] K.H. – [illegible] Kashmir he is now stiff for a month, passing his Samadhi of three months before his final initiation and - it is a terrible trial which not one out of three pass it happily, if I send you Hume’s answer to Saturday Review. Ratigan Pioneer’s pro[illegible] forced the bottle nosed Editor of C & M [Gazette] to publish it. I will send you the Tribune full of in & out defense Mr Hume sent [editors or editions] to the best papers to Hindu Patriot, A B Patrika Englishman etc. if they all printed them

NOTES:

Context and background

Master M. was corresponding with Sinnett during the period in late 1881 when Master K.H. was in retreat. M. responded to many questions from Sinnett and A. O. Hume, resulting in the Cosmological Notes.

Since the retreat lasted from October 2 until December 24, 1881, and M's note mentions that KH is "stiff for a month now," this letter must have been written in early November, 1881.

Physical description of letter

Three sheets of paper were written on both sides and folded to make 12 pages. Letterhead of The Pioneer was used, as can be seen in the imprints on pages 1, 5, and 9. Notations by M. are in blue or blue-green ink, although he generally used red ink. This letter is in a private collection.

Publication history

This letter has never been published before.

Commentary about this letter

The chief significance of this letter is that it is a rare example of Sinnett's side of his correspondence with the Mahatmas. Sinnett is trying to explain himself to M, whom he found less congenial than his usual correspondent KH, whom he called "boss."